Babies and Microplastics

Microplastics are almost environmentally ubiquitous. Microplastics find their way into the environment by variety of routes. They are produced by the disintegration of discarded larger plastic items. They are found in unfiltered laundry water. They are shed from car tyres and braking systems before being washed into rivers and the seas. Microplastic effects on food chains and human health are, however, still relatively uncertain. The average western adult ingests up to 5g of microplastics per week. Most of these relatively non-biodegradable items pass straight through. Some, however, can be accumulated in specific organs. A small New York University School of Medicine study has recently found that infants have 10 to 20 times more microplastics in their stools than are found in the faeces of adults (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/sep/22/more-microplastics-in-babies-faeces-than-in-adults-study). The predominant plastic, in infant stools, was polyethylene terephthalate. This is mainly used in textile fibres, food/beverage packaging (especially convenience-sized soft drinks, juices and water) and mobile phone cases. Perhaps, in this last case, infants get it from their parent's hands? Given the uncertainty about the potential health challenges of microplastics, reducing their ingestion by infants seems to be an urgent priority. Developing infants are generally more susceptible to contaminants than are adults.